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How to help your pillion

We all know how fantastic bikes are to ride, with their power, cornering and acceleration, but novice pillions need to be introduced gently to those powerful physical sensations if they aren’t to be put off bikes forever.

The first step is to explain to them what they are going to feel, that tipping back as you open the throttle, the front of the bike dropping a lot in comparison to a car when you brake.

Tell them to relax and stay seated centrally on the saddle and stay neutral, letting the lean happen as you tip into the corner. Also arrange a “slow-down” sign, like a tap on the shoulder or waist if they are hanging on for grim death.

Although grabrails are useful, if your bike hasn’t got much of a pillion perch it’s often better for them to hang onto you, that way you can feel what they are doing and they will feel more secure, not sliding back and forth on the saddle.

Go easy with them, build up gradually, and you could have made a convert to our great world.

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